In an ink-jet printing apparatus in which a carriage mounting an ink-jet printhead having a plurality of nozzles arrayed in a row of even-numbered nozzles and a row of odd-numbered nozzles for performing printing by discharging ink from the print elements is scanned back and forth over a print medium in a direction cross to the direction in which the print elements are arrayed to thereby print on the print medium, print data in conformity with the structure of the printhead is generated from entered information. Printing is carried out upon thinning print data, which is printed by the nozzles of the row of odd-numbered nozzles, if printing is performed by scanning the carriage in the forward direction, and upon thinning print data, which is printed by the nozzles of the row of even-numbered nozzles, if printing is performed by scanning the carriage in the reverse direction. This improves print quality by reducing edge roughness.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An ink-jet printing apparatus in which a carriage mounting an ink-jet printhead having a plurality of print elements arrayed in at least two rows for performing printing by discharging ink from the print elements is scanned back and forth over a print medium in a direction cross to the direction in which the print elements are arrayed to thereby print on the print medium, the apparatus comprising: print data generating means for generating print data, which is in conformity with the structure of the printhead, from entered information; thinning means for thinning the print data to be printed by the row of print elements in either one of at least two rows, the row of print elements being set as a subject for thinning based on the scanning direction of the carriage; and driving means for driving the printhead in accordance with the print data that has been thinned by said thinning means.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said thinning means alternately thins, by 50%, the print data printed by the print elements of the one row of print elements.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said thinning means thins all of the print data printed by the print elements of the one row of print elements.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising edge detection means for detecting print data representing an edge portion of a character in a case where the entered information includes the character; said thinning means thinning the print data representing the edge portion from the print data printed by the one row of print elements.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said thinning means thins print data, which is printed by the print elements of a row of odd-numbered print elements, when printing is performed in a forward direction, and thins print data, which is printed by the print elements of a row of even-numbered print elements, when printing is performed in a reverse direction.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said printhead discharges ink by utilizing thermal energy, said printhead having a thermal energy transducer, which is for generating thermal energy applied to the ink, provided for each print element.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said printhead is so adapted as to discharge ink by passing bubbles, which have been produced in ink by thermal energy, through the atmosphere.
8. An ink-jet printing method in which a carriage mounting an ink-jet printhead having a plurality of print elements arrayed in at least two rows for performing printing by discharging ink from the print elements is scanned back and forth over a print medium in a direction cross to the direction in which the print elements are arrayed to thereby print on the print medium, said method comprising: a print data generating step of generating print data, which is in conformity with the structure of the printhead, from entered information; a thinning step of thinning the print data to be printed by the row of print elements in either one of the at least two rows, the row of print elements being set as a subject for thinning based on the scanning direction of the carriage; and a driving step of driving the printhead in accordance with the print data that has been thinned at said thinning step.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said thinning step alternately thins, by 50%, the print data printed by the print elements of the one row of print elements.
10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said thinning step thins all of the print data printed by the print elements of the one row of print elements.
11. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising an edge detection step of detecting print data representing an edge portion of a character in a case where the entered information includes the character; said thinning step thinning the print data representing the edge portion from the print data printed by the one row of print elements.
12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said thinning step thins print data, which is printed by the print elements of a row of odd-numbered print elements, when printing is performed in a forward direction, and thins print data, which is printed by the print elements of a row of even-numbered print elements, when printing is performed in a reverse direction.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 2, 2000
April 29, 2003
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